“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”

Sunday, 19 August 2007

Co-ordinating the message

At Mass this morning, we sang "In bread we bring you, Lord". I can never sing this hymn without cringing at the memory of one of my worst efforts at selecting the music for Mass.

On this particular Sunday, the priest had preached a rousing homily on the subject of the parable of the Good Samaritan, finishing with a dramatic pause followed by the stirring words, delivered with a flourish, "So I want you to ask God, and ask yourselves, WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?"

Fast forward to the offertory hymn, all of five minutes later, and these are the words we were singing:

4 comments:

It's strange, but you rarely hear the interpretation of the early Church Fathers of this parable: namely that Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who picks us up from the gutter after we have been grievously wounded and he pays the price (and whatever is lacking) for our healing, and says that he will return... we are the wounded man.

It's always portrayed these days as US who should be the Good Samaritan...